O.K. Points taken and thanks for the input.
As I said, I am no expert in metallurgy but learning more every day. I was hoping to circumvent the heat treating step, which is why I hoped that a saw blade would suffice.
Now I see that I must know what type of steel that I'm dealing with in the first place. I will try to source some 01 tool steel in a close enough thickness.
I have much experience sending my English guns out to proper "English gunsmiths" here in Canada and my guns generally disappear for a year, or two or three...
Thus my determination to try this myself.
Question - Must I anneal the 01 tool steel first or is it possible to work with a file and heat treat later?
